With only 1 day left to go the countdown to Christmas is almost upon us.
Christmas as many of us would agree really is the best time of the year.
It’s a time for attending Church and spending precious time with our loved ones.
We all have our own traditions and the way we celebrate the birth of our Christ, however traditionally a prayer and blessing will be said before the Christmas Eve feast begins, and the head of the family would greet each person with the saying ” Christ is born” to which the response would be ” to glorify him”.
Traditionally bread would be torn by hand and shared with all those present around the table.
On Christmas day Orthodox Christians will attend Church for the divine liturgy and receive the holy Eucharist, or as many of us know it as the holy communion. It is tradition to light candles in honour of our Christ.
Christmas in Greek Orthodox households would not be complete without many of our traditional staples such as kourabiedes, melomakarona and Christopsomo ‘Christ bread’ which is baked bread made on Christmas Day.
Growing up as a Cypriot in London, it is only natural that many have adopted English customs too so let us not forget to mention the many wonderful treats that grace our tables at this time of year too, such as mulled wine, mince pies and the delicious Christmas pudding.
Of course, these delights are tasty treats just the way they are, however some of the traditional ingredients can be replaced with our very own Cypriot produce.
Here are some recipes of the classics, with a twist.
Mulled wine – a warm beverage made with wine and various spices.
Ingredients –
2 x merlin oranges
caster sugar
1 x cinnamon stick
4 x cloves
1 x nutmeg for grating
2 x bottles of Maratheftiko wine
Mince pies –
200g butter
1 x egg yolk
1 x jar of mince fruit
Zest of navel orange
125g caster sugar
1tbsp of KEO five kings brandy.
Christmas pudding –
1 x small glass of KEO five kings brandy
1 x Washington orange
4 x eggs
300g fresh white breadcrumbs
100g self-raising flour
1tbsp mixed spice
350g raisins
100g mixed peel
50g flaked almonds
250g suet
220g sugar
225g sultanas
225g currants
Lastly an interesting fact – did you know that Christmas pudding is sometimes referred to as plum pudding? It originated in Medieval England, and its association with Christmas was that it should be prepared with only 13 ingredients to represent Christ and his 12 apostles….
Enjoy time with loved ones and remember to introduce those little Cypriot twists to spruce up that fabulous Christmas dinner! From all the team here, we wish you a very Merry Christmas, Kala Hristogennia, Kales Giortes! and enjoy the festivities! We look forward to welcoming you all to CyWineFest 2019!
Credit: AnnaMaria Demetriou
Photo credit:
(1) Sidebar photo -Mulled wine enjoyed with in a Christmas environment -Elbi Charalambous
(2) Santa wood carving ready to receive hugs – CyWineFest team
(3) The Navity – CyWineFest team
(4) KEO Five Kings, enjoyed at room tempreture – CyWineFest team
(5) Christmas pudding with a twist -CyWineFest team.
